Roe V. Wade

Today is election day in Canada. I pray their election isn’t the farce the electoral system here is. Did you know that even if a candidate wins in a landslide, your electoral representative can vote for anyone they want to? Sure, they’ll lose their job and be vilified, but it’s legal. Therefore, if you’re Canadian and reading this, go vote.

Yesterday marked the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t realize this until I read the article on CNN.com. I’m sure all of you are aware of the significance of Roe v. Wade even if you aren’t clear what it actually says. When Jane Roe (a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey) sued the state of Texas and attorney-general Henry Wade over the law making abortion a criminal act and won, it began the abortion debate still raging today. The recent appointment of Supreme Court Justice Roberts and the possible appointment of Alito are very real and very possible threats to the right to abort.

One of the reasons why Republicans have always been a barable option if not an excellent second party is the inability to actually affect any major change in the foundation of the nation. Despite bigotry, prejudice, and outright eugenics based theory ruling many of their far right leaning brethren, the majority of Republicans are good people with a good head on their shoulders. This means that the politicians promising to make abortion/gay marriage/black people/et cetera illegal never actually try and follow through in office, and if they do, it’s merely a farce of an attempt in order to appease voters. Now, with the religious right gaining such momentum in the Republican party, every intelligent voice in the party is being threatened–the balance of power is shifting–and it’s important to remember what’s come before that has really made a difference in the world.

The rise of abortion after Roe v. Wade has been cited as a possible reason why crime have rates dropped (academic paper found here). In addition, abortion increases the quality of life in America, something even the right has taken advantage of under the table (several prominent right wing politicians have encouraged abortion when directly faced with the idea of their kids having a child despite the fact they oppose abortion). It helps control the population, and, perhaps more importantly, protect women from the dangers of back-alley abortions. Of course, few of these ideas are any new, and though I’m adamantly pro-choice, this is still, and always will be, a subject I wrestle with.

This rant, though definitively skewed to the pro-choice viewpoint because it’s my viewpoint, is not intended to change opinions. Instead, it’s here to remind you that important events pass us by every day. Take some time to remember Roe v. Wade and figure out where you stand. Then stop standing and get up and do something for your cause. Pro or Con, it doesn’t matter; the important thing is getting involved tactfully, intelligently, and with an understanding of what you want, know and believe.